


Outside Influences I

by TiffanyF



Series: Outside Influences [2]
Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-04
Updated: 2013-02-03
Packaged: 2017-11-28 03:59:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/670031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiffanyF/pseuds/TiffanyF
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chief Franks returns to Vegas for the first of two seminars. I don't own anything you recognize, just Tiff and the IBI people. Takes place between chapters 9 and 10 of the previous story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Rather than the usual noise that came from the break room at the start of shift, CSI Nick Stokes was surprised to hear icy silence. It wasn't a normal silence saying no one was in the room, this was the silence of a group of people determined not to speak with each other no matter what happened. And it puzzled him; the night shift at the Vegas CSI labs was like a family.

When he walked into the room, he found his friends all sitting at the table, their backs to an attractive woman sitting on the sofa. Her waist length black hair was pulled back in a simple pony tail but still highlighted her pale complexion, ice blue eyes and high cheekbones. She was wearing a light blue t-shirt with a forensics logo over the heart, black jeans and blue tevas.

"Tiffany!" Nick exclaimed, delighted to see his friend again.

The chief of the International Bureau of Investigation looked up and smiled. She was a reserved woman but had taken a liking to Nick and his supervisor, Gil Grissom the last time she was in Vegas on a case. "Hey, Nicky, I'd stand up and give you a hug, but my knees aren't working that great today," she said, her voice low and melodic.

He solved that problem by joining her on the sofa and pulled her into a hug. "What are you doing back?" he asked. "Grissom didn't say anything."

"No doubt here to take more of our cases," Sara Sidle said from the table, not looking around.

"Dr. Grissom asked me to come set up a series of training scenes," Tiffany replied, ignoring the comment from across the room. "So I convinced the president to let me have a couple of weeks in Vegas for training purposes. He's taken quite an interest in your lab since I was here last."

"Who has?" Gil Grissom walked into the room, assignment sheets in hand. "Oh, Tiffany, you made it. Did you have a good flight?"

She smiled. "Came in the bureau plane so I had plenty of leg room," she replied. "I'll just sit quietly so I don't interrupt your routine but we need to find time to review the scenarios I want to run you and your people through."

"Well, fortunately it's a slow night so I don't have to go out," Grissom said. He looked over at the rest of his CSIs. "I am a little disappointed to see this reception for a consultant here at my request. No one can help who they work for if they love what they do. Tiffany is here to teach, not to take our cases, Sara, so I want you to at least be civil."

"It doesn't matter, Gris," Tiffany said. She let Nick pull her to her feet. "I'll go visit with Sanders while you discuss your cases for the night." Tiffany picked up her ebony and silver wolf cane and limped slowly from the room.

Grissom turned back to his people. "Cath, take Warrick and Sara and head out to the Tangiers. There's a 419 waiting for you," he said. "And see if you can't smack some sense into Sara," he whispered as the blond CSI walked past him.

"I'll do my best," Catherine Willows said, taking the sheet. "But you know how biases work. It may well be a lost cause."

"Thanks, Cath," Grissom said with a sigh. "Nicky, how's that case you were working on last night coming?"

"I've got some more evidence to analyze," Nick said. "But I can double up if you need me to."

The older man smiled. "No need, I said it was a slow night," Grissom said. "But if anything else comes in, you may have to double."

"Hey Gris, how come you didn't mention Tiff was coming to town?" Nick asked. "It might have helped to have a friendly face here when she arrived."

"She wasn't sure what day she'd be here," Grissom replied. "Besides, I doubt the cold shoulder bothers her much anymore."

"I still feel bad," Nick said.

"So tell her," Grissom said. "We'll be in my office if you need anything."  
********************

Grissom found Tiffany in the DNA labs, listening to Greg tell a wild story about his time down in Mexico. He was impressed, no one else seemed to listen when Greg started off on one of his tales, but Tiffany was listening with what seemed to be fascination to the story.

"Oh, hey Grissom, I'm sorry," Greg said, blushing. "I'll get back to work right now."

"Its okay, Greg," Grissom said, thinking how much more relaxed the young man was when he wasn't around. "Tiffany, I can just meet you in my office..."'

"No, we do need to get to work," she said. "So, Greggo, you going to help me out?"

"Absolutely," the lab rat replied. "Just let me know when you need me."

Tiffany smiled and followed Grissom out of the lab. "A co-worker crush and a very bad case of hero worship," commented she. "You seem to have all the bases covered, Gil."

He shook his head and shut the door to his office. "I still have no idea how to get Sara to back off," he said. "And I just try to go easy on Greg, although with some of the antics he pulls, it's not always that easy."

"Think how crazy you would go if you had to sit in a lab all day," Tiffany said, sinking into a guest chair. "He's just working off some of the natural tension that comes from this job. Actually, he reminds me of myself not all that long ago."

"He does?"

"Ah, I'm like you, Gil, I keep people at arms length," Tiffany smiled. "But it wasn't always that way. I'm the eldest and, as such, I had to keep my siblings together after our parents dumped us. Lexxie has Jack and the boys had us, but I only had me. I've always been horribly independent and started an internship at the local PD when I was fifteen. Humor was one way to relate to people, especially being trapped in a room with filing cabinets all day. Just give Greggo there a chance; he'll mature into someone very much like Nicky."

"I wondered when you'd bring that up," Grissom chuckled. "If that's your interrogation style, chief, it's lacking."

"I'll have to teach you my style one of these days, Gil, but that's not what I'm asking. Are you guys doing okay? I've been concerned."

"Why?"

She sighed and leaned forward. "There's only so much protection from jealous coworkers," Tiffany said. "And Miss Sidle fits that bill perfectly. I know how much you and Nicky love each other. I also know how much you guys like to keep to yourselves. But I still worry, probably comes from being the eldest in my family. I just see you guys as brothers."

"What year were you born?"

"August 1969," Tiffany said. "I know you're older than I am, but it doesn't change anything. But, as you pointed out so aptly, this is hardly the place to be discussing these things. Crime scene scenarios?"

"I'm curious to know what you've got for us," he said.

"Well, it would spoil the whole exercise if I told you," Tiffany smirked. "These are three cases that my husband and I worked in Los Angeles several years ago, all solved and the perpetrators are in prison. They will be very graphic and disturbing; if you have any doubts to your people, tell me now and I'll run something else."

"I've got the best team around," Grissom said. "There's nothing they can't handle with the proper evidence provided."

Tiffany nodded. "Then we'll start at 0800 when your shift ends."


	2. Chapter 2

The IBI had two suites at the MGM Grand. One was for Tiffany to stay and work in; the other was for the crime scenes to be set up. She'd brought three support techs with her, not including her husband, Joe, who had worked the cases at her side and honestly had a better memory than she did most days.

"I'm surprised they agreed to this," Joe commented, looking around the now almost mangled bedroom. He was forty-seven year old Californian with short black hair, brown eyes and tons of laugh lines. "Damn, I'd almost forgotten how horrible it actually was."

"Can we ever truly forget?" Tiffany asked. "Are your prints in place?"

"Yeah, I made sure they match the case file exactly," he replied. "There are some truly sick people in this world, love."

"Yeah, there are," she said. Tiffany took his proffered hand and pulled herself to her feet. "I think we're ready to go. We'll be along to 'arrest' you in a couple hours."

He smiled and gave her a quick kiss. "Don't be too hard on them if they can't handle this scene," he said. "I'm having a hard time and I know it's a re-creation."

"I know, I was violently ill at the end of this case," Tiffany sighed. "I think Gris and Nicky will be okay, the others I'm not so sure of. We'll just have to see."

"At least they're willing to learn. That's something."

"Yeah, it's really something."  
********************

"Jim, what are we looking at?" Grissom asked as his team arrived at the hotel.

"419 times two," Brass replied, looking more than a little pale. "The hotel employees called it in. We've cleared the room and are questioning witnesses but none of my people could stand to be in there for long."

Grissom nodded. "All right," he said. "Ready, Nicky?"

"Whenever you are, boss," Nick said. He adjusted his grip on his kit as the door swung open and both CSIs stood and stared at the scene in front of them. Blood was smeared on the walls and door to the bathroom, soaked into the carpet and the bed. They could see a victim half hidden by the covers and all the furniture in the room was either broken or scattered.

"Whoa," Nick muttered, looking around. "I thought Brass said two dead bodies, I only see one."

"Why don't you start processing in the bathroom," Grissom said. "I'll get some pictures of our victim in here and call in the rest of the team. This is going to take the whole team."

"Right."

The body on the bed was small, Grissom hoped it was just a small woman but had a feeling he couldn't shake that it was actually a child. As he got closer he could see the truth, it was a dismembered child. "Jim, who was the room registered to?" he asked.

"We're still tracking it down, guy paid cash and they can't read his name on the signature card," Brass replied from the doorway. "We've bagged the card for you guys to check for prints."

"All right, thanks," Grissom said. "Can you get the rest of my team here, please?"

"Hey Gris, I've got a female, rough age of thirty, in the bathtub," Nick called. "Her throat's been cut and there's signs of a struggle."

"Lividity?"

"None that I can see, but she's slumped down," Nick said. "I'll start processing around her. Do you know when the coroner is going to show?"

Almost on cue, Dave walked up behind Brass. "Ready to move them when you say," he called.

"Give me a minute to try and read this," Grissom replied. "So if Mom was in the shower, kill the son first and then move into the bathroom to kill her? Either one is going to make a lot of noise in this size room so someone had to hear what was going on. Hey, Nicky, can you see if there's any water under your vic?"

"A little, her hair's wet," Nick called. "Do you think she was bathing when she was killed?"

"I can't get a time frame yet," Grissom replied. "When the rest of the team gets here, I'm going to go back to the lab with the bodies and see what Doc Robbins has to say."  
********************

"I'll give them points for keeping their stomachs under control," Joe commented, watching the CSI pair on a monitor. 

"Yeah, that blood looks real enough, and smells real enough," Tiffany replied, sipping a mug of mint tea. "It's nice that Brass and the lab are willing to go along with us on this one. Although I wouldn't mind seeing a DNA analysis on that stuff."

"I'll tell Jake that next time I see him," Joe said. "Do you think they'll be upset when they find out this is one of their training scenes?"

She shook her head. "I'm not sure," Tiffany said. "The ladies of the team probably will be, but they don't like me at all so no loss there. Warrick is just generally an easy going man, but seeing a dead, chopped up kid might have an effect on his we can't anticipate."

"Still think we should have started with this one?" Joe asked.

"It was either this or the rape," Tiffany replied. "And as I still can't handle the latter, I'm not forcing it on them any time soon."


	3. Chapter 3

Dr. Al Robbins was in on the training runs but he also knew that Gil Grissom had been a coroner before becoming one of the top flight CSIs in the business. He was a little concerned about letting Grissom see the "victims" because, as good as they were, they had that little something that was off about them. Still, he had to play his part to the end.

"The mother died first," he said, pulling back the sheet enough that the wound across her neck was visible. "Fairly straight forward as far as COD, the knife almost took her head off. Bruises on the arms and upper chest show that she fought with her attacker."

"Can you tell me anything else about her?" Grissom asked, studying the wound.

"The knife was a smooth blade, large, probably a hunting knife," Robbins replied. "There aren't any defensive wounds on her hands or arms so I think the attacker planned to disable her first and then kill her, maybe so as not to alert the child."

Grissom sighed. "Those were ax wounds," he said. "What's COD on the child?"

"His head was cut off," Robbins sighed. "There's bruising to the back of his skull, so I think he was knocked out and them butchered."

Grissom's head twitched to the right. "Al, there's something not right here," he said. He picked up the child's right arm and studied it. "These corpses aren't real."

"I didn't think we could fool you, Gil," Tiffany said from a corner. She limped out of the shadows and stood next to her friend. "Yes, everyone is in on it; even Greggo. The substance we're using to mirror blood is good up until the point it goes to DNA. But he has the printouts that will help your team. Are you going to give us up?"

"No," Grissom said. "But why didn't you give us a heads up it was a training exercise?"

Tiffany sighed. "Would your team really go into this with the same mentality if they knew it wasn't real?" she asked. "Would they give it 100% if they thought there wasn't some father out there who just murdered his family?"

"We retrieved some prints," Grissom said. "Who's?"

"The killer," Tiffany smiled. "He's waiting for you to come pick him up for questioning. But I should warn you, he's very good at interrogation himself."

"One of your people."

"My husband," Tiffany said. "He worked these cases with me, remember? He knows as much, if not more about them than I do. Now I'm going to fade into the background and watch your people work. Good luck."  
********************

Nick was running some hair samples when Greg literally blew into the room. "Stop the presses!" the DNA analyst shouted, waving his hands around.

"What presses?" Nick asked, looking up from his microscope.

"Oh, I've just always wanted to say that," Greg replied, smiling. "I've got the DNA run back on those hairs you gave me. It came back a match to some guy named Joseph McDougal."

"Have you told Gris yet?" Nick asked.

"Told me what?"

Greg turned around, his face going serious. "We've got a match through CODIS," he said. He handed Grissom the paperwork. "It looks good."

"It does," Grissom replied. "Thank you Greg, nice work. Nicky, how are you doing?"

"Man, Gris, this is a mess," Nick said. "I'll have more in a bit; maybe you should check in with the others first."

"All right," Grissom said. He made sure they were alone, Greg having gone away to enjoy the rare praise from his boss. "Are you holding up all right, Nicky?"

Nick looked up and saw not the eyes of a boss, but the eyes of a life partner and lover. He smiled. "It's rough, Gris, but I'll be okay. But you might tell Tiffany to make it a little less obvious that it's training," Nick said. "The evidence was too easy to find."

"I think this is to teach us to block out the child victim and work," Grissom said. "You're right though, it was a little too easy."

"We can't think of everything," came a soft voice from the shadows.  
********************

Before they left for the day, Tiffany pulled Grissom to the side and whispered a couple of things in his ear. Nick didn't pay them too much attention until he noticed how red his lover was.

"What was that all about?" he asked, once Grissom joined him.

"I'll tell you later," Grissom replied. "Follow me to my place?"

"Sure."

As they drove through the traffic, Nick couldn't help but wonder what Tiffany had said that had her grinning so evilly and his lover so red. It still felt weird to think of Grissom as his lover, but Nick knew deep in his heart that he never wanted to lose the older man. He was so happy and so content with their budding relationship that he wanted to stay forever. He knew it wouldn't be easy, that there would be road blocks to overcome, but he'd found his life partner.

"Breakfast?" Grissom asked as he shut the door behind them and made sure it was locked. After Catherine had invited herself in, he was always extra aware of the locks. Nick was the only person who had a key so they never had to worry about being interrupted.

"Only if you'll tell me what has you so red," Nick replied.

"Tiff was giving me some advice," Grissom said, turning even redder, if that was possible. "She knows this is brand new to both of us and knows that we're taking it super slow. But apparently it's too slow for her so she had some 'helpful hints' to pass on."

Nick grinned. "And how would she know?"

"I didn't think to ask her that," Grissom said. "I think she's just concerned that we're going to go so slow that we lose interest and give up."

"Never," Nick said, sliding his arms around his lover. "This is where I want to stay forever. I don't care if it takes a year for us to figure stuff out. I just love being able to hold you."

"Well, it's getting hot outside and she did suggest some rather interesting, if graphic, exercises we could do with ice cream cones."

The younger man paused, his eyes widening for a moment as his mind processed what Grissom just said. "I, uh, wow."

"That was about my reaction too," Grissom laughed. "Come on, we do need to get some sleep if we're going to be any good tonight. There might actually be a real case for us to work."

"She is inventive, I'll give you that," Nick said. "We just need to remember to ask where she's getting these ideas from. And I'm not talking about work either."


	4. Chapter 4

That night Brass came into the break room with the news that they had caught their suspect and he was in an interrogation room waiting for the team. "Where's Sara?" he asked, looking around.

"She hasn't checked in yet," Warrick said.

"Or she never checked out," Grissom replied, looking up from the clipboard. "I heard some of the day shift guys saying she was here and they wondered what had happened on such a quiet night to make her pull a double."

"Grissom!" Nick yelled from the hall. "We've got trouble."

The night shift followed their supervisor out into the hall just in time to see Sara storm past and down towards the interrogations rooms. "Damn," Grissom muttered. He started walking as fast as he could after the fuming woman, just knowing he was going to be too late."

Joe was sitting at the interrogation room table, waiting for the CSI team to arrive, rehearsing his lines in his head, trying to remember how the father had acted when he and Tiffany questioned him all those years ago. The man hadn't regretted anything he'd done. He'd gloated about it. He hadn't lived long after he was sentenced to prison; the other inmates took exception to not only his crime but his attitude and prison justice had prevailed.

"You bastard!" The door flew open and a dark haired woman stormed into the room.

"What?" Joe asked, honestly baffled and not quite able to keep in character. He fell back out of the chair as the woman punched him, hard, on the right cheek.

"Congratulations, Miss Sidle," Tiffany said, appearing out of a shadowed corner of the room. "Your murder suspect just walked free." She limped over and leaned down next to the man. "Joey, are you okay?"

He sat up with a wry grin. "Yeah, remind me not to play the suspect any more though," Joe said. "It's too painful. Hey Captain Brass, you got any ice packs around this place?"

"What happened?" Grissom asked. "Sara, what did you do?"

"She just punched my husband," Tiffany replied, sitting in a window sill. "Still, I suppose if it had to end on any note, a bad one is better for training purposes. We'll review when your shift is over as I know you must have real work to do."

"You bitch," Sara snarled. "How dare you set us up like that?"

Tiffany raised an eyebrow and looked at the other woman. "I am here to teach you," she said calmly. "I think you may be the only one who didn't know this was a training exercise. Gris, apparently communication is a topic we should discuss."

"When I'm done with this," Grissom replied. "Sara, my office, now."

"Gris, don't be too hard on her," Tiffany whispered. "She more or less did what I wanted to do when I saw the suspect for the first time. The only difference is, I held back."

"It's not the first time," Grissom sighed. "I just don't know what to do."


	5. Chapter 5

"Chief Franks," Catherine said, sitting down at the table in the break room. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" Tiffany asked, looking up from the notepad she was writing on.

"Set us all up. Did you just want to see how unstable our lab is?"

Tiffany sighed and put down her pen before turning her gaze on the other woman. "I'm here at the personal request of your supervisor to instruct you," she said. "It was decided not to inform you of the teaching scenes before hand as we wanted to see how you responded. Yes it was a test, but what in life isn't? I sense this is more about my position as a federal agent than the so-called unfair test I placed before you."

"I knew it wasn't real," Catherine said. "You made it too easy. That's not the point."

"Ah, the point is that one of your people assaulted my husband, the suspected suspect." Tiffany paused for a moment, thinking over the dynamics of her last sentence. "That probably could have been phrased better. Ms. Willows, you said you knew it was a test. Dr. Grissom and Nicky also figured it out. I'm not sure about Warrick Brown, I haven't heard from him. Why did none of you check in with Miss Sidle? It seems that she believed the crime to be real."

"I did check with her," Catherine snapped. "She wouldn't listen to me."

"Then she's out to prove something to herself, Dr. Grissom and me," Tiffany said. "I wouldn't have thought the treasury 'test' would have affected anyone so much."

Catherine sighed. "Who likes being told they're wrong?"

"No one, but if you can admit to yourself that you are wrong then you're stronger than those who are blinded by their search for truth," Tiffany said. "I am not here to make fools of you, Ms. Willows; but if people insist of making fools of themselves, then I cannot stop them."  
********************

"Sara, what was that?" Grissom asked once they were in his office. "What's wrong with you tonight?"

"What's wrong with me?" Sara yelled. "What's wrong with you? I can't believe you brought that, that...."

"Friend," Grissom said seriously, his eyes dark with disapproval. "Sara, I'm not talking about Tiffany; I'm talking about you storming into an interrogation room and assaulting a suspect. What if this had been real? Tiffany was right, the suspect would have walked out of here and gone free. Is that really what you wanted?"

"They set us up!"

Grissom sat down behind his desk and studied the woman in front of him. "They did no such thing," he said. "We were all aware it was a test and, from what I'm hearing, you chose not to listen when Catherine and Warrick told you so. Talk to me, tell me what's going through your mind."

"You're sleeping with her, aren't you?" Sara demanded.

The older man's face shut down. His defenses went up and his eyes hardened in a way Sara had never seen before. She'd thought she'd seen every one of Grissom's looks of disapproval, but apparently she'd been wrong.

"Miss Sidle, that was out of line," Grissom said. "My personal life is my own. You have no hold on me now, nor have you ever. Chief Franks is a friend who understands me and my past without having to be told. You have overstepped yourself with that last sentence and insulted not only me but two very powerful federal agents."

"That's the point! Feds!" Sara only just managed to refrain from slamming her hand on Grissom's desk. "What makes you think they're so great all of a sudden? That they can teach us anything. All the federal government cares about is taking our cases and building off our successes. They don't give a damn about us."

Grissom looked up at the tap on the door. "If that's anyone but Chief Franks, go away," he said.

Tiffany limped into the room and sat down in one of the guest chairs. "You should see about sound-proofing these rooms," said she conversationally. "I could hear every word from the break room. And I have to say, while I'm flattered to think that Dr. Grissom would find me attractive, I've been happily married for over twenty years."

Get out of here!" Sara shrieked. "This doesn't concern you!"

"I could secure her to a chair and tape her mouth shut," Tiffany said. "She might listen to me then."

"Tempting," Grissom replied, trying not to smile. "Tiff, how did you develop that scenario?"

She handed him a folder. "It's a real case from Los Angeles more than ten years ago," she said. "Joey and I worked it, Miss Sidle. This was not a trick, a set-up or a rouse. It was an honest test to see how well you could set aside your feelings for the victims and work a case."

"Like you do it so well," Sara spat.

"You learn or you break," Tiffany said. "It's like I told you last time I was here; you learn to deal. Work cannot be your whole life, it will eat you from the inside, consume you until all that is left is darkness. And then not only will you not like the person you've become, no one else will want to be around you any more. Then there is only one way out. I've seen far too many people walk that path. Living is a life you either adapt to or you learn. You shouldn't hide behind work because, in the end, it will just make you miserable."

"What about Grissom?" Sara asked.

"What about me?"

"All you do is work. You don't have a personal life. You don't care about anyone, why aren't you getting this lecture?"

Tiffany sighed. "Because he didn't just haul off and hit a suspect," she said. "Dr. Grissom, I'll leave you to this. My twin is flying in tomorrow for the next test. Miss Sidle, think about what I've said. Don't surrender yourself to the darkness."


	6. Chapter 6

A raised voice caught Tiffany's attention as she was walking back to the break room to finish her notes. She paused in the door to the DNA lab to ensure everything was all right.

"You little punk bastard! Don't you even know how to set up a report properly? You almost ruined my case!"

"But Ecklie, I tried to tell you the run wasn't complete," Greg protested. "I said I still had four more samples to test."

"No you didn't," Ecklie said. He would have continued only he could feel the weight of an angry glare behind him, burning into his back. He turned, sharp retort on his lips for Grissom only to meet the coldest, most icy blue eyes he had ever seen. "What do you want?"

"World peace," replied Tiffany. "But, until then, I'd like for you to stop yelling. It's not only rude and hurtful, it's terribly distracting."

"I don't believe I've had the pleasure," Ecklie said, holding out his right hand.

"You still haven't," Tiffany said, not breaking eye contact. "Greggo, I think Nick was looking for you."

"Right, thanks," Greg said, obviously glad to escape.

"Sanders, I'm not done with you," Ecklie yelled.

"Yes you are," Tiffany said. "Supervision in any form requires one to listen as well and you obviously haven't mastered that. I'll be sure to mention the fact in my final report." She pulled a small notebook from her back pocket. "How do you spell your last name?"

Ecklie stared at her. "I, uh, I have a meeting to go to; if you'll excuse me." He pushed past Tiffany and almost ran down the hall to his office.

"That was fun," laughed Tiffany, tucking her notebook away. "Is Sara feeling any better?"

"How did you know I was here?" Grissom asked.

"I heard you," Tiffany replied. "Is Conrad Ecklie always such a jerk?"

"Generally." Grissom poured them some coffee and joined Tiffany at the table in the break room. "I sent Sara home and told her to take a day off to calm down. I don't know why you upset her so, but I've never seen her that mad."

"I think when she looks at me she sees two things," said Tiffany. "Competition and a huge label that says 'fed'. Until she's willing to look past all that then she's going to hate me."

"Where's your husband? I feel like I should apologize for Sara's behavior."

She smiled. "Joey flew home a couple hours ago. Lexxie's been watching the kids but as I need her for the next scenario they're changing places," Tiffany said. "Lexxie should be here around one local time."

"So our next case must have something to do with fire," Grissom commented. "Well, how about some breakfast? Nick and I have a couple of non-work related questions for you."

"Sure," Tiffany said. "But somewhere out of the way because I have a feeling I know what you're wondering."  
********************

Grissom made sure that Tiffany would be able to eat chicken, eggs and peppers cooked in olive oil before he even stepped into the kitchen. Nick and Tiffany pulled stools up to the breakfast bar so they could all talk without shouting.

"So, spill," said Tiffany. "What's got you so distracted?"

"Your suggestion about ice cream cones," replied Nick, his cheeks tinting red. "I haven't been able to get those pictures off my mind since Gil told me."

Tiffany smirked. "Have either of you tried it?"

"No, we were too worn out after work yesterday," Grissom said. "But it did raise the question of how you know about it."

"And a couple other things too?" Tiffany laughed as the men both turned red. "It's called the internet, guys; fan fiction to be exact. Remind me and I'll send you some links. I don't know that you'll like it much, Gris, but I think Nicky will."   
"Tiff!" Nick protested.

"What? I wish I'd had some help and advice when Joey and I first got together," said Tiffany. "Thank you, Gil, this looks wonderful. Look, a new relationship can be scary enough without the added freak out factor of a same-gender attraction."

"I've been wondering about that," Nick said, sipping his coffee. "I mean, I love Gil and want to be with him forever, but why am I suddenly attracted to another man?"

"Are you attracted to any other male?" Tiffany asked seriously.

"Of course not," Nick said. "And no woman either; Gil's perfect."

She laughed at the blush creeping back up Grissom's face. "You'd best get used to it, Gil," Tiffany said. "And, for the record Nicky's right, you are handsome. Now, to answer your question, Nick, my twin is a firm believer in soul mates."

"There's no scientific proof that's true," Grissom said.

"Maybe not but it explains your situation," Tiffany said. "I mean, think about it; two straight men suddenly in love with each other and won't even consider looking at another man. That speaks to an attraction that runs deeper than what you'd normally find. You can ask Lexxie about it, if you want; I'm sure she'd be glad to tell you more."

"Are you going to bring her to the lab tonight?" Nick asked.

"I'm sure we'll show up at some point," Tiffany replied. She ate the last bite of her food. "And, on that note, I'm going to catch a few hours sleep and look into that Ecklie character. I don't like him."

Grissom smiled. "He was the sheriff's lap dog for quite a while. I'm not sure how much you'll be able to find."

"I've got connections," Tiffany replied, a wicked gleam in her eyes. "I'll see you guys later."  
********************

After they cleaned up the kitchen and put everything away, Nick and Grissom changed into lightweight sleep pants and crawled into bed. "Are you upset we're moving so slowly, Nicky?" Grissom asked, wrapping an arm around his lover.

"No way, man," Nick replied. "Tiffany got it right; there's still a little of the 'in love with a man' freaking out to deal with. Part of me wants to feel you now and my mind is still saying slow down."

"I think I know which part," Grissom purred, sliding his hand down to stroke Nick's growing erection. "I love you, Nicky my boy, and if this is as far as we ever go then I'll be happy. You're so perfect, I don't know what I did to deserve your love but I want to keep you by my side forever."

Nick squirmed and rolled over so he was straddling his lover. "Don't sell yourself short, Gil," he said, leaning forward so he could pin the older man's hands to the pillow. "You're all I want now and forever. We'll work past these hurdles and figure out what goes where. For now though, this is enough."

"Oh, Nicky," Grissom gasped, thrusting up. He raised his head and caught Nick's lips in a passionate kiss.

The younger man released his lover's hands and shifted around until they were lying pressed chest to chest, toe to toe. He gasped when Grissom parted and then wrapped his legs around Nick's hips, bringing their hardened cocks into closer contact. "Man, Gil," Nick gasped. "Too many more moves like that and I'll be done."

"I won't be far behind," Grissom replied, rubbing against his lover. "I love you so much, Nicky."

They lay that way for a while, thrusting gently in an almost perfect rhythm, just enjoying the feel of their partner.

"Faster, Nicky," Grissom groaned.

"Nope, haven't you heard," Nick leaned down to nibble on Grissom's ear lobe, "slow and steady wins the race."

That was all it took to push Grissom over the edge. He gasped Nick's name, his whole body tensing as he came, Nick following not long after.

"One of these days," Nick whispered, as his breathing slowly returned to normal, "we have to try that with our sleep pants off."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexxie Scott is also from the novel. The first one centers on her, it's about arson investigation. She's loosely based on me, the abuse parts anyway. Please let me know what you think of her. She's a little more subdued here than normal though. Otherwise, enjoy. Oh, and if you're bothered by descritpions of burn injuries, there are some in here, not graphic, but I couldn't find a warning for it.

The CSI nightshift, minus Sara, met not at the lab that evening but rather outside of the mansion of Max Q. DeSpirite. They stood by their Tahoe's and watched as local fire crews battled the flames pouring from the second story windows.

"Arson," a soft voice said from behind Grissom. He turned and, for a moment, thought he was seeing double.

"Tiffany, you neglected to mention the word identical when speaking of your twin," he said. "You must be Chief Lex Scott; I'm Gil Grissom, welcome to Vegas."

He noticed the slightest hesitation before she took his hand. Grissom recalled what Tiffany had told him about her sister being abused by those she trusted and wondered how comfortable the woman actually was. "How do you know its arson?" Grissom asked. "The flame color looks normal and we haven't heard any reports of anything unusual."

Lex stared towards the burning building for a moment. "Depending on the amount and location of accelerant used, by the time fire crews arrive on scene, the flame color can be perfectly normal," said she finally. "You'll need to check for retention in and around the points of ignition."

"I've never heard anything so crazy," Warrick commented from down the line.

"As you will," Lex replied in a monotone. "Sis, I'll go wait in the car. I've still got some paperwork to finish."

"Paperwork?" Grissom asked as he watched the young woman retreat.

Tiffany nodded. "Lexxie lives in Middleview, it's a smaller city so she's a fire marshal and scene investigator as well as fire chief," she said. "I know she's got some inspection reports to finish up as well."

"Do you think she's all right?" Nick asked, glancing back to the rental car.

"She's developed a tough skin over the years," Tiffany replied. "The fire service isn't exactly female friendly. Lexxie's used to not being believed."

"What?" Grissom asked.

"Remember the story I told you, Gil?" Tiffany asked softly. "Any time Lexxie tried to tell an adult or an authority figure what was going on they'd just tell her to quit lying. After a while, she stopped trying."

"No one listened to her?" Nick was shocked.

"Only me and there wasn't much I could do because the schools kept us apart," Tiffany said. "But don't mistake hesitance for weakness; Lexxie just doesn't like large groups of strangers. She'll be fine."  
********************

When the fire was out, Grissom had everyone change into their overalls before approaching the scene. He asked Catherine and Warrick to see what they could find outside while he and Nick looked inside.

"Dr. Grissom, if your people do not have strong stomachs, keep them out of the master bedroom," Lex said, appearing silently next to him. "There are two bodies there and both are badly burned."

"How do you know that?" he asked, shocked. He'd always considered himself a ghost but this woman had him beat. "Did one of the firemen tell you?"

She smiled sadly. "You're too much of a scientist to believe me," Lex said. "But I will tell you that, based on the defensive attack used by your fire department, the side of the hedges facing the house and the rear exposure should be unmolested. Good luck."

He watched her fade into the darkness lit only by the flashing lights from the emergency vehicles. Grissom wondered how anyone could endure so many years of abuse and stay sane.

"Hey Gris," Nick called, waving him over. "The men doing the overhaul just called for the coroner. They found..."

"Two victims in the master bedroom," Grissom finished.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Nick asked.

"Chief Scott just told me," Grissom replied, turning back to stare into the darkness. "But she wouldn't tell me how she knew, just that I'm too much of a scientist to believe her."

Nick shook his head. "Man, I'm not even clued in to what she's been through and I can tell she's been abused," he said. "She doesn't think anyone will believe anything she says. Can you imagine what that must be like?"

"No Nicky, I can't," Grissom replied thoughtfully. "But there's more to this younger twin than meets the eye. I wonder how we can earn her trust."

"I don't think we can, Gris," Nick sighed. "I don't think she's able to trust any more."  
********************

Once the victims were removed, Nick and Grissom started their investigation in the master bedroom. "Hey, Gris, do you feel that?" Nick asked.

"What?"

"I don't know, the air feels heavy," Nick said. "It's almost like we're not alone."

"There's no such thing as ghosts," Grissom replied firmly. "I've got what appear to be two separate points of ignition, with a door between them. I think we'd better check for accelerant."

Nick nodded and grabbed some equipment from the hall. "How would Tiff's twin know this was arson?" he asked. "I don't think she's involved but you have to admit, it's weird."

"Tiff said that Chief Scott doubles as a fire investigator," Grissom replied. "Maybe she saw something in the flames that we didn't."

"Everyone has to be an expert in something," Nick said. He glanced down at the beeping machine in his hands. "I've got a positive for accelerants."

"All right, get some samples prepared and I'll take the back to the lab," Grissom said. "I want to talk to Doc Robbins about our victims."  
********************

"So, Doc, tell me what you know," Grissom said as he stepped into the cool morgue.

"How many days do you have?" Al Robbins asked. He looked up and smiled. "It's not every day we have a multimillionaire grace our humble facilities."

"You've ID'd the bodies?"

"One of them through dental records," Robbins replied. "The female is a Jane Doe at this point."

Grissom sighed. "So what else have they told you?"

"First up is our Jane Doe," Robbins said, leaning on his crutch. "There's no soot in her larynx and its relaxed; she was dead before the fire started."

"What was COD?"

"I'll know more later but I'd say she was hit on the back of her head. There's a depression there that's not consistent to fire related injuries. I'll take a look under the scope to see if the heat caused the brain to expand or if she was hit."

"So, a fire set to cover a homicide and our suspect got caught in his own trap," Grissom speculated. "What can you tell me about him?"

Robbins turned to the other table. "Our man of the hour was alive when the fire started," he said. "There's vagal inhibition and edema present. I'll have to open him up to see what his lungs look like but I'm thinking he got a breath of some extremely hot gasses."

"They were found on the bed together," Grissom said. "DeSpirite wasn't married and I haven't seen any news of a regular lady friend."

"Your hypothesis sounds probable for now," Robbins commented. "He could have killed her and started the fire, not knowing how fast it would grow and killed himself in the process. I'll page you with anything new."  
********************

Grissom noticed the woman in the break room and paused. From the back it looked like Tiffany except the French braid was dark brown instead of black and she was wearing a dark purple t-shirt. "Chief Scott?" he asked.

"Yes, Dr. Grissom?" Lex turned and Grissom was surprised to see that her eyes had almost no color. Only years of hiding his emotions kept the shock from his face.

"I hope you weren't offended by what my CSIs said earlier," Grissom said, sitting down on the sofa, facing her.

"I was quoting a more recent study than your people might have seen," Lex replied. "I don't offend easily, not any more. I would never get anything done if I listened to the gossip about me too closely."

"Your sister says you're also a fire marshal and a scene investigator," Grissom commented. "Do you enjoy it?"

She smiled and Grissom couldn't help but notice it didn't reach those eyes. They were sea-green he decided, not colorless.

"My work was my life for many years," she said. "It was dependable and always there. Now that I'm married I still love what I do but not as all-consuming as before. Teemer is a firefighter-specialist; he drives an engine, so I'm very lucky."

"Can I ask you a serious question?"

"You may although I reserve the right not to answer," Lex said.

"That's fair enough," Grissom said, smiling. "How did you know it was an arson fire and two people died? It wasn't even called in until after we talked."

Lex studied him for several minutes, her head tilted to the right, almost as if she was listening to something far away. "If you believed less in science I could tell you," said she finally. "Call it women's intuition if you must label it but I can't tell you anything more."

"Is it because you don't trust me?" Grissom asked.

She snorted. "I do not know you, Dr. Grissom," Lex replied. "So it's unfair to state if I trust you or not."


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey, Gris, we've got next to nothing," Warrick said, catching up in the hall. "That one gal was right, the firemen only tramped around the front of the house but we weren't able to find anything we could use."

"Firefighters have one focus and that is to end the threat to life and property with little concern for a crime," Grissom replied. "We knew that when we approached the crime scene and we will know that until we retire or arsonists stop setting fires. What we have to do is work with what clues are left us."

Warrick looked at his supervisor as if the man was crazy. "What did they leave us?"

"Two bodies, chemical traces and..." He broke off as Greg joined them. "Yes, Greg?"

"That chemical was an n-alkane, like you'd find in candle oil or copier toner," Greg said, handing Grissom a piece of paper. "Does that help you any?"

"It may, thank you," Grissom said. "But I need to check with someone first." He turned and retraced his steps back down to the break room. Both the twins were sitting at the table and, for a moment, he had trouble telling them apart. "Chief Scott, does this report mean anything to you?"

She took the paper and studied it. The silence of the room was shattered when Catherine opened the small fridge and looked inside. "Does anyone know why there's two quarts of vanilla ice cream and cones in here?" she asked.

Both Nick and Grissom went red, trying not to look at each other. Tiffany looked up with a small smile. "Oh, I thought that would be a nice treat for you guys," she said innocently.

"Sounds good," Nick said, his voice cracking on the words. "Do you want me to serve?"

"Sure," Warrick replied, looking at his friend oddly. "I'll have a cone."

"Great; Gris?" Nick asked.

Tiffany looked at the supervisor, a nasty twinkle in her eyes. "Live a little, Dr. Grissom," she said. "Lexxie, do you want one?"

"Please." Chief Scott looked up from the lab report. "Dr. Grissom, this fire was set by someone who understands the nature of the beast, someone who thought they could master it and failed," she said. "This person was arrogant at the least."

"Could anyone set a fire with that oil and make it out of the room alive?" Catherine asked, joining them at the table.

"May I see the pictures of the victims?" Lex asked. She took her ice cream cone. "Thank you."

Grissom glanced over at Warrick who tossed a folder onto the table. It slid to a stop in front of Lex. "Thanks," she said.

Nick handed Grissom a double dip cone and set about making one for himself. Both men were aware of what Tiffany was doing but surely she didn't expect them to practice in the middle of the break room.

"Arson, fire in general, messes up a crime scene so badly that there is rarely trace evidence left," Lex said softly, putting two pictures on the table in front of her. "Then add in how badly we damage the crime scene while extinguishing the fire it's a miracle that arsons are solved, let alone prosecuted."

"And yet they are," Grissom said. "Do you see something in there?"

"Nothing new that will tell you who set the fire," Lex replied. "But it wasn't one of your victims."

Nick looked over her shoulder. "Unless it was a murder, suicide," he said. "Could the dude have killed the lady, set the fire and then climbed back in bed with her so it looks like they died while sleeping?"

"It's a misconception that dying in a fire isn't that painful," Lex said. "It would take a brave or desperate man to kill himself in that manner. But it is possible."

Grissom licked around the base of his cone, fighting to keep the blush off his face. "All right then, Warrick, you and Catherine look into DeSpirite's financial situation. Nicky, check in with Doc Robbins and see if he's learned anything new. Like Chief Scott said, these cases are hard to solve, but they're not impossible."  
********************

"Tiff, you're evil," Lex said once they were alone in the break room. "The look of horror on their faces could have spoiled everything."

"You know how it is, sis, there are times I just can't resist," Tiffany replied. "They're trying to figure you out."

Lex sighed and looked back at the report. "I just can't understand why anyone would use this chemical to start a fire," she said, avoiding the point her sister was making. "It's not common, it's heavy and it would have to be transported to the scene. A place like that there had to be something easier to use."

"Maybe that's a clue," Tiffany said. "Maybe whoever set this fire wants to be caught. How did he escape anyway?"

"Probably went out a window," Lex sighed. "There was a trellis next to the bedroom balcony that probably could have supported the added weight for a moment or two. Certainly long enough to drop to the ground. And with the damage from the fire, there's no way to find out."

"I've always said you're insane," Tiffany said. "I think you chose the most frustrating career there is."

"Perhaps, but when called to the fire service, there is no turning back," Lex commented. "Would you introduce me to that DNA tech, Greg?"

Tiffany stood slowly. "Sure, he's a good kid. I think he understands," she said. "Come one."

Lex took one last look at the report on the table. "Why was that stuff there?" she asked softly.

********************

Nick cornered Grissom in his office, his face still red. "Man, Gris, what is Tiffany trying to do?" he asked, sinking into one of the guest chairs. "I thought I was gonna die when Cath said there was ice cream in there."

"I'm never going to be able to eat ice cream cones in public again," Grissom said his voice lowering. "I'm just glad I didn't have to stand up for several minutes. All I could think about was you, Nicky. How much I wanted to try it on you."

"Really?" Nick asked, his voice going hoarse. "That's cool, Gris. But shouldn't we finish our case first?"

"Of course, I just wanted you to know that you're on my mind no matter what we're doing here," Grissom said, his cheeks tingeing pink.

"In that case," Nick stood and walked over to his lover and paused, "maybe we should buy some ice cream on our way home today."


	9. Chapter 9

"Hey Greg," Tiffany called as she limped into the lab. "I'd like for you to meet my sister, Lex."

Greg turned around and froze for a minute. "Am I seeing double?" he asked, staring at them.

"No," said Lex softly. She sat down in one of the chairs and looked at the young man in front of her. "Mr. Sanders, I have a question for you."

"Greg, please."

"The chemical found at the arson, could it possible have been a lighter version of the n-alkane?" Lex asked. "How positive are you that it was copier toner weight?"

"The machines don't make mistakes," Greg replied, a little defensively. 

Lex sighed and stared off into space. She was puzzled by the choice of accelerants. It almost looked like she was listening to someone that only she could hear for a couple of minutes before she stood and wandered out.

Greg looked over at Tiffany. "What was that all about?"

"I think she just thought of something," Tiffany replied. "Sorry, Greggo."

"Hey, it's okay, I didn't mean to get all up tight," he said. "It's just that people don't always take me seriously."

She looked down at his bright red shirt and smiled. "The image your project on the outside reflects upon the inside," she said.   
********************

Lex wandered down the hall, lost in thought until a shout brought her to a stop. She turned and looked at the woman storming down the hall. "Can I help you, Miss Sidle?" she asked.

"I'm tired of you sneaking around here, stealing out cases and credit," Sara said. "I don't care if you have Grissom in your pocket. You need to leave, now."

"I believe you should speak with my sister about that," Lex sighed. "Tiff is in the DNA lab right now."

"What kind of fool do you think I am?"

"The type of fool who doesn't know to use her eyes," Lex replied seriously. "I know that Tiff and I look alike, but you're allowing your hate to blind you to the obvious differences. Our hair and eyes are different as is our taste in clothes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find Nick Stokes."

"Nicky is in trace, Chief Scott," Grissom said, walking past. "Sara, I'd like to talk with you, when you have a minute." 

"Thank you, Dr. Grissom," Lex said quietly.  
********************

"Excuse me, Mr. Stokes," Lex said, tapping lightly on the door. "Do you have a moment?"

"Sure," Nick replied. He closed the folder he was reading and looked up. "What can I help you with?"

She sat down next to him. "Was there a home office where toner could have been kept?" Lex asked. "Otherwise the entire arson case makes no sense at all."

"Are you thinking that someone who knew the victims set the fire?" Nick asked.

"One killed before the fire, one during and neither able to set the fire," Lex replied. "There had to be someone else in the room who managed to escape. It makes sense that it was someone who knew the household and was familiar with the routines."

"But why would DeSpirite let this girl be killed?" Nick asked. He pulled a note pad towards him and started taking notes. "Unless he killed her and then this third person set the fire as revenge."

"Was there any evidence the door was blocked from the outside?" Lex asked.

Nick pulled out the pictures and handed them to Lex. "Not that we saw, but then again, you seem to know more about arson than the entire lab put together," he said. "It'd be awesome if you could find something we're overlooking."

"Like Tiffany manages to do so often," Lex said with a small smile. She paused and stared at a picture of the bedroom door. "This doesn't look right," she said. "You don't have any pictures of the hall way."

"With a fire it's hard to know what to photograph and what to ignore," Nick said. "I'll take you back out to the scene if you'd like."

"I'm starting to think that's a good idea."  
********************

Grissom found Tiffany in his office, pulling the chocolate shell off of a 3 musketeers bar and eating it piece by piece. He shut the door and sat down behind his desk. "Tiff, I don't know how best to phrase this, but is your sister sane?"

She started laughing so hard she dropped her candy. "Damn," chuckled Tiff, looking at the floor. "The center is my favorite part. Oh well. Gil, since when do you assume anything about anyone?"

"I'm not making assumptions, I'm following the evidence," Grissom replied. "She moves like a ghost, she knows things that it's not possible for her to know and it's almost like she knows when someone is around before they are."

"Lexxie has a hyper-developed sense of awareness," Tiffany said. "It comes from so many years of abuse and also having to anticipate practical jokes at the houses she's worked. She's as sane as the next person, as long as the next person is a firefighter."

"What?"

"Well, can you imagine anyone who is totally sane running into a burning building for a career?" asked Tiffany. "It takes a special type of person to do that job. But, I will admit, Lexxie has always been a little spacey."

"She knew there were victims at our fire before we did," Grissom said. "That's a little harder to explain."

"It is," Tiffany said, growing serious. "Gil, you're a scientist so you probably won't believe me but both of us can do that. We can see, not the future, but options that might happen. Lex is just stronger than I am. You might want to get that."

"Get what?" Grissom asked, just as his phone rang. He tilted his head to the side with a smile. "Grissom."

"Gris, it's Nick. Listen, Chief Scott thought of something so we're going back out to the crime scene. Can you and Tiff meet us there?"

"Absolutely, Nick," Grissom said. "Don't go inside until, well, never mind. Chief Scott should know how to move around a fire scene. Just be careful."

"Always, Gris," Nick replied, his smile evident even over the phone.


	10. Chapter 10

The house loomed in the growing light of dawn. Its broken windows almost accusing as Lex and Nick walked up the drive. She was muttering to herself and Nick focused on her rather than the scene in front of him.

"Outside defensive attack only, two water curtains and a monitor gun, five engine companies," said Lex looking around. "Then add in three truck companies and possible rescue attempts...."

"What are you trying to figure out?" asked Nick.

"How the windows were broken out," Lex replied. "I'm guessing the ground floor was the firemen for venting and the second story was from the fire. We should collect some of the glass from the back of the house to see if someone might have broken out a window to escape the fire as opposed to the flames blowing them out."

Nick was impressed. It was something he wouldn't have thought of as an obvious thing. Glass could tell them some stories about what happened. "Have you ever managed to get a conviction from just glass evidence?"

"No, but it would go a long way towards proving or disproving my theory of a third person in the house at the time of the fire," Lex said. "Also, I believe there's a trellis or something similar in the back that could have supported a human for a short period of time."

"Did you walk around the scene or something?" Nick asked. He was impressed with Chief Scott, almost if not more so than he was with her twin. Maybe Nick just liked unreachable people, Gil fit that description perfectly.

"No," Lex replied. She stared at the house. "The fire definitely started on the second floor," said she eventually. "This whole case just makes absolutely no sense. What do you think, sis?"

"That it might well be impossible to solve," Tiffany said, joining the group. "You've said it yourself, arson is next to impossible to solve."

Lex snorted and started towards the rear of the house. "Dr. Grissom, I could use a pair of sharp eyes," she said.

"Sure," Grissom replied. "Nicky, why don't you wait with Tiff?"

"There's got to be something we can do," Nick protested.

"How about checking the main floor to see if the truckies report matches the scene?" asked Lex. "I called a friend of mine down here and he told me what his people shifted around during overhaul."

"They can remember that?" Grissom asked.

The fire chief grinned. "Why not, all you have to do is ask," Lex said. "What I find is, generally, when a body is found at a fire scene, the truckies tend to be a little more careful with overhaul and they remember it a bit better. It never hurts to ask."

"Tiff, are you going to be able to walk around in there?" Nick asked, well aware of his friend's balance problems.

"I'll manage," Tiffany replied. "I might be a little slow, but I'll get there in the end."

The group split up. "It never occurred to me to ask the firemen if they remembered what they moved around," Grissom said as he and Lex made their way carefully into the back yard. "Actually, it never occurred to me that they were careful with what they were doing. It's always seemed like they enjoy overhauling a building a little too much."

"We're destructive by nature," Lex commented. "But we're not stupid. I heard what you were telling your people about a firefighters' priority at a scene and it was dead right." She smiled slightly. "I approve of anyone who understands what we're doing."

"I try and understand everything," Grissom replied. "Now, what exactly are we looking for here?"

Lex briefly outlined her thoughts and plans for the exterior of the building as well as the primary room on the second floor. "I can't be sure of anything," said she. "But it can't hurt to try."

"At this point we need something solid," Grissom commented. "And if you're anywhere near as sharp as your sister then I'd think this could be solved by lunch."

She looked over at him. "Tiff is smarter than I am in some regards," said Lex finally. "But I wouldn't have put ice cream in the work freezer."

Grissom froze and stared at the woman in front of him. He couldn't, didn't want to believe that Tiffany would have told anyone about his relationship with Nick, and yet her sister apparently knew about it. 

"Tiff didn't tell me," Lex said, squatting down to look at some glass fragments on the grass. "I read eyes. Yours and Mr. Stokes both shine love when you look at each other. I'm surprised no one else has picked up on it."

"People only see what they want to," Grissom replied, joining her. "It doesn't seem to bother you."

She stared at him. "With some of the things I've seen and experienced in my life, Dr. Grissom, two men dating or a supervisor dating someone under his command seems a very mild thing indeed."

"Thank you," Grissom said.  
********************

The inside of the house was messier than Lex was expecting but she'd seen worse, albeit not often. Nick and Tiffany were in what had probably been a ballroom or formal dining room when she and Grissom joined them. 

"I don't know how you do it, sis," Tiffany said, looking around. "I prefer clean crimes."

Lex snorted, "yeah, and murder is so clean," said she. "Have either of you been upstairs?"

"Nope, I didn't want to leave Tiff alone," Nick replied. "She's looking a little shaky."

"I'll give you shaky," Tiffany replied, shaking her cane at him. "But I don't think I'll be able to get up those stairs."

"Then one of us is staying with you," Grissom said firmly. "I'll do it; I need to ask you something anyway."

Nick grinned and held out a flashlight. "Shall we, chief?"

"Lead the way."

Grissom watched the pair walk off, thinking that Lex was starting to relax a little more now that she wasn't around the entire shift. "Tiff, did you tell your sister about us?"

"About you and Nicky, of course not," Tiffany replied. "But haven't you heard the expression the eyes are the window to a man's soul?"

"She can really read someone just from their eyes?"

"Gris, I could have looked at your eyes and told you were in love with Nicky," Tiffany said. "But it's something you really have to be looking for. I don't think anyone else has noticed it."

"But it's something we'll have to guard against," Grissom said. "It's good to know, actually. I should thank her."

Tiffany nodded. "You should; it's not something that happens often enough."  
********************

The upstairs hallway was a bigger mess than the downstairs. Lex looked around with a sigh, her eyes distant. "Okay, if someone wanted to block the door, they would have to set the fire and run," said she finally. "We didn't find any prints out back so that kills my theory that a third person went out a window."

"How could they block the door?" Nick asked, studying the scene in front of him. "I don't see a chair or anything." Silence greeted his question and he turned only to find Lex staring at the door in what appeared to be shock. "Chief Scott?"

"To quote Holmes, what has happened to any power that God has given me?" she said. "Not that I believe in god, mind, but it's still a good line."

"What's wrong?" Nick asked.

"Don't you see it?" Lex pointed to the door. "This door was open at some point, closed, and then opened again during the fire."

"That just makes our job harder," Nick sighed. "Did someone try to save the victims?"

Lex moved closer to the door and looked at the burn patterns. "A fireball hit this," she said. "I think the fire burned down to a smolder inside and then rolled over once the door was opened. We should have another victim and we don't."

"Time to check the hospitals?" Nick asked.

"For someone with some nasty burns," Lex replied.  
********************

When Grissom got home after a meeting with Ecklie he could feel a headache starting up behind his eyes. That man was, Grissom didn't even have a word to really describe what Ecklie was, other than pompous, arrogant, and petty. He locked the front door with a sigh, showered and shuffled quietly into his bedroom.

"Hey Gil," Nick murmured from the bed. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Of course, Nicky," Grissom said. 

"Take off your sleep pants before you come to bed," Nick said softly.

Grissom stared at his lover as Nick flipped back the covers to reveal his naked body. His mouth went dry as he studied the beautiful body highlighted against the dark cotton sheets. "Gods, Nicky," Grissom groaned. "You're so...."

"If you say beautiful, I'm getting dressed," Nick said with a smile.

"Perfect," Grissom finished. He somehow made his way to the bed, sat down and leaned over to kiss his lover. Nick moaned and leaned up into the kiss.

"Pants," Nick whispered, trailing nips down his lover's neck. "Please, I want to see you. I've never wanted anything as much as I do this."

"I'm nowhere near perfect," Grissom murmured, his hands reaching to undo the tie. "But I can't tell you no; not in here."

Nick smiled and leaned back against his pillow. His mind was whirling. He'd never dreamt he'd be naked in Gil Grissom's bed, almost drooling as the older man took off a pair of sleep pants, but he couldn't think of anywhere else he ever wanted to be.

"Now what?" Grissom asked, joining Nick on the bed.

"Perfection," Nick replied.


	11. Chapter 11

When Grissom awoke in the evening, he felt different. He knew, on an intellectual level that nothing had changed, he was still the same man he'd always been. But on another level he knew that nothing would ever be the same again.

After he'd stripped and joined his lover on the bed, Grissom had found himself at the center of a storm of passion that started and ended with Nick. Every point where their naked bodies had touched seemed to spark with energy. Gil had simply stared up at his lover for several minutes, awed by the love and trust he saw in those dark brown eyes. 

Nick seemed to know exactly what he wanted and asked if he could explore his lover a little, to learn what made him hot, what made him moan, what made Gil scream. Grissom had laughed at that, saying he never screamed. But he'd been wrong, Nick's hands on his skin, stroking him slowly made him beg, made him whimper and eventually, when the pleasure spiked, he'd begged and finally screamed Nicky's name.

"If fan fiction gives you such good ideas, Nicky," Grissom had gasped, "then I think I'll be joining you in reading them."

"Sounds good to me, Gil," Nick replied, and took his lover's hand. "Now, you think you're up to returning the favor?"

If Gil thought that learning about bugs and forensics was fun, then he'd been mistaken about the formal definition of the word. Fun was listening to his lover beg him to move, to do something while he examined every inch of that tanned flesh.

A ringing in his ear brought him abruptly back to the present. He knew he'd turned off the alarm as they had a day off. It was his cell phone. "Grissom."

"Hey Gris, it's Warrick, I think we found our arsonist," he said. "Brass got a call for a body in a car. The car was fine but the guy was seriously burned up."

"It sounds probable," Grissom replied. "What else have you been able to find out?"

"Not much at this point," Warrick said. "The twins are gone, Chief Franks said to tell you she'd be back later for the other seminar. Doc Robbins is checking this dude out and will let us know as soon as he knows anything."

Nick grumbled a little and turned over in his sleep. Grissom rubbed his back absently. "Do you need me to come in tonight?"

"Nah, at this point I think we got everything covered," Warrick replied. "Cath's enjoying herself and doesn't know I'm calling you."

"Then you'd better go before you get into trouble," Grissom said. "But have her call me if anything urgent comes up."

"Right," Warrick replied, and hung up.

"Gil, what's wrong?" Nick murmured, his voice still sleepy.

Grissom settled back into the bed and pulled Nick in close to him. "Nothing, love," he replied. "Go back to sleep. You'll need your energy for later."


End file.
